Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, April 3, 2020
Photo: orthodox.or.th
During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, churches and monasteries throughout the world are giving of their time and money to help those in need in various ways.
And the same is happening in Thailand, where the Russian Orthodox Holy Dormition men’s Monastery in the Ratchaburi Province of Thailand has announced that it is providing free food and accommodation for those finding themselves in a difficult situation due to the quarantine regime, reports the site of the Orthodox Church in Thailand.
Due to the global pandemic and quarantine regime undertaken by a number of countries, including a sharp restriction on air traffic, some citizens of Russia and neighboring countries find themselves unable to leave Thailand and experiencing certain financial difficulties.
Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin), the Russian Church’s representative in Thailand, notes that the Diocesan administration has received a significantly increasing number of requests for help lately.
In this regard, the Thailand Diocesan Administration and the Committee of the Foundation of the Orthodox Church in Thailand decided to grant those in need food and accommodation in the monastery, without regard to their religious profession, until state borders are opened and regular air travel is resumed, provided that they strictly adhere to the government’s health standards.
Participation in the monastic services is left to the discretion of each purpose, though they are encouraged to participate in labor obediences, if possible.
The construction of Holy Dormition Monastery began in November 2009, when the Orthodox Church Fund in Thailand purchased the land of 9,000 square meters to construct the church and Orthodox cemetery. The monastery was consecrated in early 2011.
